MLS All-Star Fan Ballot: Where's Andre Hainault?

He has done nothing extraordinary for the team this season. I really hope he does well in center back because otherwise I’m starting to think that maybe we could trade him and get something/somebody that we really need.

It is a uniquely American concept….but we are in America. I don’t understand why people are so upset when MLS doesn’t do every single thing the exact same as they do in Europe. I LOVE watching the quality of play of some of the big European teams and leagues. MLS isn’t up to that standard because leagues like the EPL have the money, the history, and a large rabid fan base to attract top talent. MLS isn’t a second tier(3rd/4th whatever) league because we have a different schedule, playoffs, or an all star game. None of those things impact the quality of the product on the field. It’s a lower level because their isn’t a large enough fan base to drive up attendance, TV ratings, and ad revenue to bring in the kind of money to pay elite talent and have top notch development systems yet.

Look, all Star games are completely pointless. Everyone knows it. Playing them mid-season is a little risky because of the chance for injury, but they don’t get as much attention if they are played at the end of the season. Attention is what these games are about. Collectively no one really cares about the result, but if All star games do nothing else they do tend to get fans fired up because of who is and who is not apart of it. Just like in this article. If Hainult not being nominated gets a casual fan fired up about how one of “his” guys is being screwed the All Star game has done it’s job because passionate fans spend more money than casual fans.

The MLS has by far the best all star game compared to the big three in US sports. Bringing in clubs like a Man U is a vastly superior concept to just playing against guys from another conference. As long as the league can continue to get in quality opponents the all star game is well worth it. The league probably gets more mainstream media attention for the All Star game than they do for MLS cup final….especially if Becks isn’t in the final. The league needs that exposure. Sure,most of the people who came out to Reliant last year probably went right back to not watching MLS after it was over. If the game last year just got a small % of the people who were at Reliant to become a little more aware of the MLS or to maybe even decide to go to a game or two that is great for the league. Over the years those few extra fans an all star game helps to create begins to add up.

I actually do not mind having an all-star game, and enjoy the whole thing for a few reasons.

First, it is nice to have a kind of midseason marker, to have the entire league sort of pull back, take a breather and then launch itself into the second half. The teams and organizations tear into each other every day of the season, the way it’s supposed to be, but it’s nice just to look around and realize this is all just for grins. A midseason event like an All-Star Game can give us all a chance to earn some perspective and reset.

Second, remember that there are many, many front office personnel in MLS, and having a midseason event to come together in kind of a convention sort of way is something that helps these front offices grow.

Third, if an All-Star event is handled properly, like (to pull out one example completely at random) the way it was handled by the completely first rate and truly excellent Houston Dynamo front office in 2011, it can help grow the sport in its community. Forging links throughout the market, a truly competent front office can puts its product front and center like few other events. This is perhaps the No. 1 reason to continue to have All-Star events. It can show tangible results throughout the home market. Though again, this is dependent on having a truly capable and competent front office.

Now sure, as purely an onfield product, the All-Star Game does nothing tangible to impact the overall race or anything that matters for the championship campaign. But the positives of it, as a low-impact way to grow the overall game, provide perspective and remind us all that this is all just a way to have some fun, to me outweigh the negatives.

But PT, those columnists would write that stuff no matter what happens, so you can’t really plan around that. Let them write what they write.

As a fan, I’m thrilled I got the chance to see Ryan Giggs etc. last year, even if it was just a meaningless friendly. I also got the chance to see Brian Ching score against ManU. It was a fun event and i had a great time, even though MLS lost.

These events are fun, and I know for a fact that it helped the team in this market last year in an otherwise dismal and down season. Those are dollars that would have had to be generated some other way if it wasn’t here. From a marketing and business perspective, it was a great boon to Dynamo. For that reason alone, the All-Star Game should be held in markets like this one. It’s a chance to help grow the game and make money. So what if it’s a silly friendly. If a silly friendly is what it takes to do that, then do it.